BURIAL, CREMATION, RESURRECTION

Gentry note: Postmillennialism is fully committed to historic, Bible-believing orthodoxy rather than to innovation. Consequently, we believe in a future physical resurrection of the bodies of all men. A practical question that arises is: Does the Bible encourage burial or cremation? Cremation does not destroy the prospect of resurrection, but it does not testify of the hope of the resurrection very well. Dr. Chediak provides us a helpful article in that regard.

Preference for cremation among Americans has skyrocketed over the past few decades. In 1960, only 3.5% opted for cremation over burial. By 1999, it was one in four (25%). And in 2016, U.S. cremations outnumbered burials.

For Christians, this raises the question: Is it really a neutral choice between whether to be buried or burned? If so, it’s easy to opt for convenience. But there’s a long tradition among Christians that a burial is much better. Before going there, though, let’s get clear on why many are attracted to cremation.
Why Cremation?

A burial costs about three times as much as cremation. Cremations are also more flexible. They don’t need to occur right after the person dies. A service can be held at the most convenient time for those who attend. And ashes can be scattered in many places. (My wife’s grandfather had his scattered in the San Francisco bay.) Others might keep the ashes in their home.

Evangelical Ethics (3d ed)
by John Jefferson Davis
One of the best treatments of contemporary ethical problems facing Christians. John Jefferson Davis brings mature biblical thought to issues such as homosexuality, genetics, abortion, euthanasia, war and peace, the environment, divorce and remarriage.
See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

There are also worldview reasons to prefer cremation. Wikipedia notes that “almost everyone adhering to Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism cremate their dead.” Why? Because these faith systems do not attach any lasting significance to the human body. Similarly, in ancient Greek religion, the human body was considered to be a prison for the soul. Death liberated a person’s soul from their body.

A Brief History of Cremation

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, cremation showed up the western world by the Greeks as early as 1000 B.C. The Greeks adopted it from northern tribes who would incinerate corpses on the battlefield, then gather the ashes for entombment back home. Cremation became associated with valor and patriotism. The bigger the military hero, the bigger the pyre.

We see references to cremation in Homer’s Iliad. Royal cremation ceremonies appear Greek mythology and in the practices of pagan Scandinavians. In Lord of the Rings, Denethor tries to burn Faramir and himself “like the heathen kings of old.” In Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the corpse of Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) is burned.

Presents three views on the millennium: progressive dispensationalist, amillennialist, and reconstructionist postmillennialist viewpoints. Includes separate responses to each view. Ken Gentry provides the postmillennial contribution.

Roman practice of cremation was widespread at the time of Christ, especially among the upper class and members of imperial families. But as Christianity rose in influence, cremation quickly declined. Wikipedia reports that “anthropologists have been able to track the advance of Christianity throughout Europe with the appearance of cemeteries. By the 5th century, with the spread of Christianity, the practice of burning bodies gradually disappeared from Europe.”

The central idea in cremation is the denigration of the body. As Yoda said to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, “Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.” Our bodies are “crude matter” — to be burned like garbage upon our death. This is what Christians must reject.

Burial: A Witness to the Resurrection

As Christians, we affirm the goodness of our physical bodies. Our bodies were made by God. We’re called to glorify God in our bodies because the Holy Spirit resides within us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). That happened because the Son of God took on human flesh to die bodily on the cross to purchase us for Himself (1 Peter 3:18). Like Paul, we seek to honor God in our bodies, both in our life and in our death (Philippians 1:20).

Because of sin, our bodies — like the rest of creation — experience corruption (Romans 8:20-22). We all experience dysfunction in our bodies. Death doesn’t visit us all at once. It visits us one day at a time. In nearsightedness, and then farsightedness. In the loss of hearing. In stiffness and back pain. In arthritis — or worse, dementia and Alzheimer’s. For many Christians death comes at the tail end of protracted agony. We’re ready to be done with our bodies! To die for Christians is to be free from bodily anguish and immediately in paradise (Luke 23:43).

But that’s not the full story. Christianity affirms that we will live forever not as disembodied ghosts but as embodied souls (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)….

Publishing schedule:

PostmillennialismWorldview is published regularly, with a goal of posting new articles twice a week (Tuesday and Friday).

Support Gentry research through AmazonSmile

If you sign up for AmazonSmile on Amazon.com, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible AmazonSmile items. This does not add to your own purchase price, but it does support my research and writing ministry.